Mercer Times

Emmy-award winning actor Sam Waterston, known for his longtime role on the NBC series “Law & Order,” addressed Princeton University’s Class of 2024 as its Class Day speaker. He was selected by the class in April to speak at the May 27 ceremony.

President Eisgruber, Dean Crotty, Dean Deas, parents of the Class of 2024, distinguished guests.

Princeton Class of 2024, Congratulations! It’s a wonderful world! Love is all around you, your parents are really happy, you’re their pride and joy. Look at what your friends have done! You’ve been no slouch yourself. Four years given to the great things college offers, best of all, talk, talk, talking to each other. You Carpéd the Diem! Good going.

It’s a wonderful day! I’m so glad and greatly honored to be part of it. I’m a grandparent of six. My wife, Lynn, is here too with her best friend Di — I’m really only here because of them (and Di’s beloved Julie) — and they’re with me on this: There is nothing like seeing your children and grandchildren thrive, prosper, clear the high jump, beat the odds, and bust out all over. Thank you for inviting me to share in the joy.

The word of one syllable for what you’re swimming in today is play — joy and love combined — and play is what it’s all about.

In “Waiting for Godot,” Lucky starts the last speech he will ever give trying to pack into it everything he knows and coming up with nothing but desperate nonsense.

“Given the existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattmann of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell….” and it goes on like that.

As I fretted over what to say today, I felt like him until I realized what my real problem was: I don’t know what to tell you.

About to give up, it hit me that that’s a good thing for all of us. It’s your turn. Adulthood definitely has its downsides, and you don’t want to let go of your inner child—the you who knows all about play—but nothing holds a candle to adulthood’s upside: becoming your own boss. Graduation is the landmark. It’s official now; it’s kind of crazy that the first thing the world wants to do is tell you in a graduation speech how to think and what to do. I’m not going to try.

The places you and I are in are too different. For you, this is prime time for action—for seizing the day—time to be out in the world getting things done.

For me more and more, the things that give me joy have to do with stopping.

My favorite essayist Michel de Montaigne quit—400 hundred years ago. He quit the French court where he was an advisor to the king; quit Bordeaux where he was mayor after seeing the city through his time's pandemic—the Plague—after inventing public bulletin boards which we now know as social media—“Leaving for Paris Thursday? Want a ride?” “Wine Sale: Best Claret since 1540.” He quit it all and went home to his medieval estate holed up in his study at its turret's top; invented essays which mean "the try" or "the attempt" rather than "the last word" or "final result"; wrote history's first ones including ones about quitting; spent life getting acquainted with himself by writing about himself.

He stopped everything else forgotten: how good wine was or who went Paris-bound but people still read those essays discovering stand-up guys' essence—honest fun straight-shooters friends because he stopped.

I quit myself months ago.“Law & Order”was part my life decades-long—a rarity TV shows come-and-go—it didn’t—it did long-haul job needs kept roof overhead kids through college kept trouble-free eased other work wasn’t work but play—and life centers around play (Did mention already?)

But big surprise upon quitting realizing headspace occupied stepping off set final-time felt door-opening found gigantic new room emptied astonished thrilling piece rented-out mine again.

Not stop doing when stop routine buys thinking space shutting-up being still.

Spring slow-long loved meditating twice-daily years feeling effects loving-you must stop see spring meditate poorly running news-checking what's-done mostly checking stops.

We don’t decide great questions lifetime-resolving Almighty purposes Lincoln said terms differ experience same issues arise own-will unavoidable answering them.

Don’t waste seconds doubting youthfulness fate yours cooler non-choice questions fate-chance-God-history choosing responses yours generational ball-rolling unwritten future possibility correct answers rest rooting partly spotty bat-time glad presence timely!

Graduation Memorial Day coinciding proud career moment playing NY Times journalist Sydney Schanberg “The Killing Fields” war movie not fight-centric right-winning civilian-soldier deaths message saving lives stopping wars.

Gold stars awarded conflict-resolution pre-shooting father WWII volunteer non-draft fought unconditional surrender Holocaust-stopping dictatorship-ending conquest-illegality dubbed Good War reasoned.

Vietnam Great War generation thought best ending childhood friend Derek Chesebrough killed tens-thousands potential Einsteins da Vincis Mozarts someone calculated seven active wars underestimating violence-resolved issues speaking current actions decisions yours stop-go choices remain Oceana board chair ocean essential existence despite water-breathing foreignness centuries-beaten post-WWII killing-means nuclear-weapons human self-destructive polluting dead-zones underwater deserts fish-catching last-climate-change underwater heatwaves oxygen-depletion sea-creature smothering analogous human air-smothering awful contemplation continued destruction mutual assured death cure stopping overfishing carbon-pollution ocean-recovery corporate handful fossil-fuel dependence planetary throat-grip stoppage awaited.

But catastrophe-prevention requires action Oceana's mission Dr Daniel Pauly board member global fish-population expert positive-energy difficulty faced mixed-race harsh-indifference racism discovered simple young-do-nothing worse-do-something better lifelong doing recommended universally.

Your turn decision?

1600 Elizabethan ears words “to be” akin modern “to act” soliloquy Hamlet famous considering mind-suffering outrageous fortune-slings-arrows taking arms troubles-opposing-ending interesting world-question answer Hamlet pithiest shortest poem English “Let be”—allow staying still taking acting fighting-back choices fates trip!

Personal view opposites stop-go let-be dead-life air-between joy-love-play making life interesting mysterious self-discovery ample headspace yourselves returning start-point played Lincoln law partner Billy Herndon noted limited reading extensive thought Robert Sherwood's play Great Plains huge sky head-space opened many then thin population vast land historical figures Jefferson Thoreau Paine David Dickson fresh-air minds Declaration Independence Constitution creation Europe crowded Divine Right kings behavior-thought copying basic instinct own-head retention requiring will-power muscle-flex guarding life's priority never easy scary Montaigne noticed mind-changing difficult faithless lonely foundation instability Hamlet-craziness personal fear greater fantastic headspace yielding copycat jobs intelligent machines privacy-home thoughts-own connection telephone radio TV internet cellphone AI era resulting constant connection global reach marketing algorithms rabbit-hole ideas loss group-identification value propaganda noise truth survival preference Abraham Lincoln solitary Great Plains night Sherwood's portrayal Montaigne tower books thoughts pen mind-changing minutes

Uncertain right personal headspace balance worldly obligations individual decision unknown guidance universal need independent minds turn awaiting outcomes congratulations complaints address Julie congratulations thank-you

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